Well-casing wrench



June 30, 1925.

A. s'. JONES WELL CASING WRENCH Filed A ril 28, 1922.

June 30, 1925.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 grwenfoz Patented June 30, 1925. I I v I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.ALBERT S. JONES, 01 GHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR T LUC'EY MANUFAC- TUBING CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CQRPORATION OF TENNESSEE.

WELL-CASING WRENCH.

\ Application filed April 28, 1922. Serial No. 557,084.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, ALBERT S. Jones, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Well-Casingl Wrenches; and I do hereby declare the to owing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accom anying drawing, forming .part of this speci cation.

This invention relates generally to wrenches and more particularly to tools known as well-casing tongs for connecting and disconnecting sections of well-casing.

Due to their massive construction, wellcasing tongs are more or less inconvenient to handle in applying them to the casing, and an object of the present invention is to facilitate the application of the tongs to the casing section by forming the work engaging members of a plurality of pivoted gripping .jaws, one or more of which are adapted to be opened on their pivots to allow the casing to be inserted in the tongs, and providing means that will automatically close the gripping jaws around the casing when the tool 15 applied to said casing. Tongs'of such construction are easily handled by a single operator who has only to set the jaws open and then push or shove the suspended tool against the casing, whereupon the jaws will be closed and, by means of a spring'actuated latch, looked around the casing.

A further object is to provide a tong whose center of gravity will remain substan tially coincident with its longitudinal center regardless of the positions assumed by the pivoted j aws, thereby further increasing the ease'with which the tool may be manipulated. I

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain'novel features of construction and the combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be herein- "after described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a casing tongs illustrating the pref erred embodiment of the present improvements and showing the parts in position ready for the tongs to be applied to the casing; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the casing enclosed within the ton'gs;v

of. the handle 10 and a series of gripping jaws operatively connected to the handle and adapted to be ex anded and contracted to release and grip t e pipe when the sections of the casing are being joined or'disconnected. To secure a more perfect balancing of the tongs in order that they may be conveniently suspended in the derrick and more rapidly manipulated by the operator, there are preferably four arc-shaped gripping jaws '11, 12, 13 and 14 arranged m palrs. The inner jaws 11, 12, which are in effect levers, are op osed to each other, one on each side 0 the longitudinal center of handle 10 and are pivotally connected at their inner ends to said handle by pivot pins 15 at points spaced longitudinally of the handle. The outer jaws 13, 14 are also opposed to each other and similarly arranged 'with respect to the longitudinal center of handle 10 and are pivotally connected at their inner ends by pins 16 to the outer ends of the jaws 11, 12. The outer free ends of said jaws 13, 14 are adapted to be closed together, suitable co-operating locking means being provided on their ,outer the inner jaws 11, 12 is necessary when the outer jaws are swung openin placing the casing in or removing it from the tongs. Jaws 13, 14 are, however, swung away from each other a considerable distance to open the tongs, but due to the four-jaw arrangement and the weight of the several parts being practicallypvenly distributed on 0 p0? site sides of the longitudinal-center of andle 10, it results that a more or 'less perfect balance of the tongs at all times is secured. stantially transversely of the bore of the Suitable means such as sockets 18 for sustongs and, as will be apparent, when the pension barson jaws 11, 12, and, if desired, a tongs are shoved onto the casing the entering clevis (not shown) on handle 10 are proface of the casing will engage said projecvided for attachment of the suspension tions and move them outwardly. This cables. movement of the projections will automati- Very little movement of jaws 11, 12 being cally return'the jaws 13, 14 to their closed necessary, the grip taken by the jaws 11, 12 position around the casing, where they will on the casing 17 may be materially aided by also be automatically locked by the springproviding stops which serve to yieldingly actuated latch mechanism heretofore deurge said jaws toward each other. For scribed. 9 this purpose comparatively heavy coil For accommodation of the projections 3 springs 20 are seated in sockets 21 formed at when a section of casing is in the tongs, the handle-engaging ends of extension 19, recesses 31 are formed in the jaws 11,12. said springs normally engaging the sides of As practically all strains on the tongs are handle 10, laterally of the jaws. the recesses 31 have While any one of various forms of latches l if a y, effec On the ability of the I may be utilized on the co-operating outer jaws to Stand up under the stresses placed engagement with the wall of recess 27 and th d ll f j 13, respectively, and jectlons 30 in the bore of the tongs when I end of j 13, 14, th r f d f rm upon them. lrVhile other constructions and illustrated comprises a latch 22 pivoted in arrangements of this feature of the inventermediate its ends on a pin 23. mounted tion readily suggest themselves, the form dein projections 24 adjacent the outer end of scribed 18 preferable, due to its simplicity, jaw 13, Th l t h i f T h d t nd its strength, and the small cost of producis adapted to interlock with a catch 25 'tion. The invention 18 readily applicable to formed at the adjacent end of 'jaw 14;. A the type of tongs now in general use in the Spring 26 di i 23 i a recess 27 (711 producing industry at small additional in the body of the latch has its ends in cost.

To insure the proper positioning of proyieldingly holds the latch 22 in position to j w 1 14 are opened, co-operat-ing stops automatically interlock with the catch 25, E are 'fOrmed on the ad oining ends of as well as in engagement 'with said catch, J WS 1 1 and 12, 14. This prevents the when locked. -For convenience in the p ojec ions sw nging a oundon their pivmanu l o i of j 13, 14 a h dl 28 otal centers to a point where-they will not is formed on the outer end of latch 22 and fun t np pe ly When the tongs are being a second handle 29 is formed near the end P d 01,1 the casin g. of jaw 14. What is claimed 1s:

Heretofore, in applying the tongs to the 1- In a well-casing tongs, the combinacasing, it has generally been necessary for n of an Operating handle, inner-opposed connected to said 4 one of the operators to manually close the gripping jaws operat veliy jaws around the casing after the latter has handle, means for yiel' lngly urging said been positioned in the bore of the tongs. Jaws towardeach other, outer opposed gl'lp- With the present invention, however, manual ping JaWS P YO aHY mounted at the r inner closing of the jaws is eliminated by the pro ends on the inner aws, whereby said outer vision of means that will automatically perjaws may be opened and closed to permit form that operation, such means consisting he W rk to be inserted in and removed of projections 30 carriediby the outer jaws from the tongs, projections carr1ed by the 13, 14 and adapted to be engaged and actu- Outer jaws, said pro ections extending inated. by the casing to rotate said jaws on Wardly beyond the pivotal centers of said their pivots and close them as the tongs are outer aws, whereby they will be moved into .applied to the casing. In the preferred the bore of the tongs'by opening the outer form of construction the closing projections jaws, and means for releasably lOCKlIIg the 3,0 are made integral with the jaws 13, 14 outer jaws in theirclosed'position. at the inner ends of the latter, said pro- 2. In a well-casing tongs, the combmajections 30 being formed centrally of the tlQnQf anop at ng andle, inner opposed depth of the tongs by continuing the inner gripping aws pivoted on the handle, outer gripping faces of the outer jaws beyond opposed gripping aws pivotally connected the pivotal centers of said jaws. The curvato the inner aws, whereby said outer jaws ture of the projections conforms to that of may be opened and closedfor work to be the inner jaws 11, 12. ,Said projections are, nserted in and removed from the tongs, of course, of less depth andwidth than the integral pro ections jaws, formed by con t1nuat1ons of tl 1e gripping As the outer jaws are opened for the faces of the outer jaws, said projections insertion of the casing 17 the projections 30 being extended inwardly beyond the piviwill swing inwardly and be positioned subotal centers of the outer aws and movable of reduced widthinto the bore of the tongs by an opening movement of said outer jaws, there being recesses for said projections in the gripping faces of the inner jaws, and means for releasabIy locking the outer jaws in closed position.,

' 3. In-a well-casing tongs, the combination of an operating handle, a pair of inner opposed gripping jaws pivotally mounted on the handle, a pair of outer opposed gripping jaws pivoted on the inner jaws and adapted to be opened and closed to permit work to be inserted in and removed from the tongs, means for automatically closing the outer jaws upon insertion of the work in the tongs, said closing means being movable into the bore of the tongs by an opening movement of the outer jaws, means for limiting the opening movement of said outer jaws, and means for releasably locking the outer jaws in closed position.

4. In a well-casing tongs, the combination of an operating handle, a pair of inner opposed gripping jaws pivoted on the handle and movable towards and away from each other, means for yieldingly urging the jaws towards each other, means for limiting the movement of said jaws away from each other, a pair of outer opposed jaws pivoted to the inner jaws and adapted to be opened and closed to permit the work to be inserted in and removed from the tongs, the

jaws of each pair of opposed jaws being positioned on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the operating handle, and means for releasably locking the outer jaws in their closed position.

5.'In a well-casing tongs, the combination of an operating handle, a pair of inner opposed gripping jaws pivoted on the han dle, means for yieldingly urging the jaws towards each other, means for limiting the movement of said jaws away from each other, a pair of outer opposed gripping jaws pivoted on the inner jaws and'adapted to be opened and closed to permit the work to be inserted in and removed from the tongs,

' means for limiting the opening movement of said outer jaws, means carried by said outer jaws for automatically closing them upon insertion of the work within the tongs, and means for releasably locking the outer jaws in their closed position.

6. In a well-casing tongs, .the combination of an operating handle, a pair'of opposed inner aws pivoted on the handle and movable towards and away from each other, socketed extensions on said jaws adapted to engage the handle for limiting the movement of the jaws away from each other, springs seated in the socketed extensions and engaging the handle for urging saidjaws towards each other, outer opposedjaws pivoted to the inner, jaws and adapted to be opened and closed to permit the work to be inserted in and removed from the tongs, means for limiting the opening movement of the outer jaws, and means for releasably locking the outer jaws in their closed position.

7 In a well-casing wrench, the combination of an operating handle, a gripping jaw pivotally mounted on said handle, a second jaw pivoted on the handle having a work gripping surface to one side of its pivotal center and a handle engaging surface on the opposite side of its ivotal center, means interposed between said handle and said handle engaging surface for yieldingly' urging the work gripping surface of said aw towards the other jaw, and means for locking said jaws in engagement with the work.

8. In a well-casing wrench, the combination of an operating handle, a gripping jaw pivoted on said handle, a second jaw pivoted on said handle havmg a work gripping surface to one side of its pivotal center and a handle engaging surface on the opposite side of its pivotal center, said handle engaging surface having a socket therein, and a spring in said socketengaging the operating handle for yieldingly urging the work gripping other jaw, and means for latching said jaws in engagement with the work.

ALBERT S. JONES.

surface of said aw toward the o. 

